Shloka 59
इन्द्रद्युम्नोपाख्यानम्
Indradyumna Upākhyāna: On Kīrti, Smṛti, and Restoration
राजन्! सब लोग लोभके वशीभूत होंगे और ब्राह्मणोंका धन उपभोग करनेका जिनका स्वभाव पड़ गया है, वे धनके लिये ब्राह्मणोंको मार भी डालेंगे ।। हाहाकृता द्विजाश्वैव भयार्ता वृषलार्दिता: । त्रातारमलभन्तो वै भ्रमिष्यन्ति महीमिमाम्,शूद्रोंक सताये हुए ब्राह्मण भयसे पीड़ित हो हाहाकार करने लगेंगे और अपने लिये कोई रक्षक न मिलनेके कारण सारी पृथ्वीपर निश्चय ही भटकते फिरेंगे
rājan! sarve lokā lobhavaśībhūtā bhaviṣyanti, brāhmaṇānāṁ dhanaṁ bhoktuṁ yeṣāṁ svabhāvo jātaḥ te dhanārthaṁ brāhmaṇān api ghātayiṣyanti. hāhākṛtā dvijāś caiva bhayārtā vṛṣalārditāḥ | trātāram alabhanto vai bhramiṣyanti mahīm imām ||
Markandeya said: “O King, all people will fall under the sway of greed. Those whose habit has become to consume the wealth of Brahmins will, for the sake of money, even kill Brahmins. The twice-born, crying out in distress—tormented by śūdras and crushed by fear—finding no protector, will wander helplessly over this earth.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse warns that when greed dominates society, dharma collapses: the vulnerable and learned (here, Brahmins/dvijas) lose protection, exploitation becomes normalized, and violence is justified for wealth. It underscores the ethical duty of rulers and society to protect the righteous and restrain greed-driven injustice.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a future age of degeneration: people become greedy, some habitually seize Brahmin wealth and even kill Brahmins for money; the dvijas, terrified and oppressed by vṛṣalas/śūdras, find no protector and wander across the earth lamenting.